Intel Looks to the Future With IOT, Wearables, 5G

At IDF, I mostly saw demonstrations of products involving sensors, wearable computing, and the Internet of Things.

The key takeaway from last week's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) is Intel's move toward a focus on new, emerging technology markets, perhaps in part a response to how the company has been chastened by its continuing struggle to have a major presence in the huge smartphone market. The company did unveil more details on its PC and server plans, and did discuss its memory plans in detail, but walking around the conference I mostly saw demonstrations of products involving sensors, wearable computing, and the Internet of Things.

The clearest message is that Intel really is focusing on the Internet of Things and the wearable market. CEO Brian Krzanich's keynote featured a variety of demos, including a BMX bike rider jumping over Krzanich's head on a bike running the company's new Curie processor. It had a sensor on the body and handlebar, which feeds an application that determines how well the maneuver was executed.

In the keynote, Krzanich focused on what he called three key assumptions for the future of computing: "sensification," smart and connected computing, and the PC as an "extension of you."

The demonstrations at the conference featured a number of bike riders performing various tricks as well as the "dancing robot spiders" with which Krzanich concluded. Attendees had the opportunity to play with a couple of different variations of the robots, and Intel said that in total it used 83 robots, 733 motors, 1,004 LEDs, 32 cameras, and 88 controllers based on its Edison platform.
That keynote showed off a number of products, from the new Curie microprocessor designed for wearables and other small machines, to the RealSense 3D camera, to a slew of robotics, including the dancing spiders.

There was also a Relay Robot moving around the display area, and a variety of wearable devices, including a focus on the Basis fitness watches that Intel owns.

I was interested in a floating display based on the RealSense 3D camera that shows what appears to be a keyboard in mid-air with ultrasonics giving you some feedback. This would seem to be most useful in hygienic applications (such as in hospitals) or perhaps for a display inside a store window that you could operate from the outside.

Intel corporate strategy officer Genevieve Bell gave a big push for the "maker" market  pushing the idea that individuals, not just corporations, could create interesting technology using small computer components, such as the company's Edison and Galileo development boards. Demos she gave included a 3D-printed Skittle sorter, a pet feeder, an air guitar, a set of "scarab" robots created by an intern, "worry birds" that reflect Twitter feeds of topics that concern you, and a computer encased by special materials that can go into a bleach solution for disinfection, used in the treatment of Ebola. "We want to be your partner," Bell told the assembled developers.

Intel seems to think that the forthcoming transition to 5G will be its best chance to get back into the mobile space, where it has long trailed leaders such as Qualcomm. In the keynote, Krzanich stated Intel's intention to be the leader in both the modem and the network infrastructure business, and in a follow-up session, Intel's Aicha Evans and Sandra Rivera hosted a panel with other telecom executives talking about the rollout of 5G services.

Evans emphasized that 5G is not just about a faster modem, but about the unification of all sorts of wireless services, from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi to LTE. She described this as being about "intelligent communications" with everything from refrigerators to cars to traditional devices, all online. By 2020, she said, she expects 50 billion devices will be online.

Rivera talked about "network intelligence," including adding computing power to base stations at the edge of the network. Until now, she said, networks have been agnostic to the data they carry, but in the future they will be more aware of what's going on so they can provide a better quality of experience in applications such as video conferencing. As part of this network transformation, she talked about network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) as being part of 5G, and bringing together computing and communications capabilities.

They brought up a panel of telecom executives from Ericsson, SK Telecom, and Verizon to show the importance of partnerships in rolling out 5G technology. The panelists described a number of new applications that will require new networks, such as virtual and augmented reality, real-time interactive 4K streaming, and many Internet of Things applications ranging from agribusiness to transportation.

One part of the conversation involved the use of spectrum, including both licensed and unlicensed spectrum, with references to demos of Wi-Fi over licensed spectrum and LTE over unlicensed spectrum. It's likely that some of the tension will emerge from carriers wanting to get paid for their licensed spectrum and users wanting to use the unlicensed bands for free connectivity.

Michael J. Miller's Forward Thinking Blog: forwardthinking.pcmag.com
Michael J. Miller is chief information officer at Ziff Brothers Investments, a private investment firm. From 1991 to 2005, Miller was editor-in-chief of PC Magazine, responsible for the editorial direction, quality and presentation of the world's largest computer publication.
Until late 2006, Miller was the Chief Content Officer for Ziff Davis Media, responsible for overseeing the editorial positions of Ziff Davis's magazines, websites, and events. As Editorial Director for Ziff Davis Publishing since 1997, Miller took an active role in...
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